BC High Wins Opener
The Boys HS league in Massachusetts is running now, despite rough weather, and in driving wind and rain Thursday night BC Hightook on St. John’s Prep.
Tough conditions to start the MYRO season meant a lot of scrums, the early of which found SJP pressuring BC High. BCH spent much of the first half defending into the wind in their half of the field, making multiple defensive stands within their 22. SJP flyhalf ran very well, hitting gaps with speed and slipperiness that made him tough to defend.
12 Teams in Heart of American HS Tourney in KC
St. Thomas Aquinas is hosting the 2016 Heart of America Classic this weekend, with 12 well-regarded HS teams from around the country.
Aquinas is on a role, having shown well at tournaments in Oklahoma and Lindenwood University, and having beaten their arch rivals, KC Jr. Blues, in a recent game.
Aquinas, along with the Blues, will field two teams in the HOA.
In Pool A, the Jr. Blues lead the group with local teams Winnetonka and South Central also competing.
Okapi Puts Pressure on Orlando
The Okapi Wanderers defeated Key Biscayne 10-5 Wednesday night in a makeup game, and that result has important playoff ramifications in Florida Youth Rugby's Boys DI league
Key Biscayne needed the win to keep pace with the Orlando Griffins and potentially get a spot in the Cup Semifinals. Because of the loss, Okapi jumps to 5th, and this now sets up the question as to whether another weather delay comes into play. Orlando and Okapi were rained out April 2, and should Orlando lose to Tampa Krewe on Saturday, that Okapi-v-Orlando game will be needed to decide the 4th seed into the Cup Semis.
Meanwhile, Key Biscayne is solidly in the Plate competition with Cape Pirates and, most likely, Daytona.
Here's the video of the Okapi v Key Biscayne game.
EIRA Player of the Week - Antonio Pizatella
Among the players to have a big day when the Cape Pirates beat the Tampa Krewe this past weekend in Florida was a prop forward who always delivers.
OK, bad joke - his nickname is “Pizza Man” - prop forward Antonio Pizatella is one reason the Pirates have been steadily improving through the season. He’s an excellent athlete - 6-0, 280, but able to play prop, No. 8, and flanker.
Historic Tournament Win for SLUH
The St. Louis Ruggerfest is the home tournament for St. Louis University High, but they have never won it - until now.
SLUH was in top form as they beat Germantown 26-0, the Chiefs out of Illinois 15-7, and, in the final, the Little Rock Jr. Stormers 26-19.
It was a pretty good weekend for Little Rock, too, as the Stormers beat Bixby 26-12 in the semis.
SLUH Head Coach Joe Muller said he was somewhat surprised that his team won it all. He knew Bixby, KC Jr. Blues, and Little Rock were all very strong.
Gamebreakers - HS Boys This Week
Rugby is being played in high schools all around the country, so here’s a look at a few players who have made a special impact this past week.
Kress Woodward
The Bixby outside center scored three tries over the weekend at the St. Louis Ruggerfest. A multi-year starter at linebacker on the two-time state champion Bixby football team, Woodward has been virtually perfect in his tackling, and he is all kinds of problems running with the ball.
Iowa 7s Season Starts
The Iowa Youth Rugby Association 7s season has kicked off with 25 games on Friday.
Five teams - Ankeny Hawks, Ankeny Centennial, DM Lincoln, Marion, and Cedar Falls - went 2-0, while Wolfe Creek went 3-0. Ankeny Hawks player Jordan Sanderson led all players with four tries.
NorCal Boys Playoffs This Weekend
It's already playoff time in Northern California - boy that was fast - with five boys HS championships to be decided, plus a few other consolation rounds.
All of the teams playing in semifinals will play those semis on the weekend of April 9. The championships will then be held April 16 or 17.
Here are the matchups:
Boys Varsity Premier
Danville v Archbishop Riordan
Jesuit v Granite Bay
2016 Boys HS Club Rankings #8
We didn't get to the HS Club rankings last week, so here they are this week, with a ton of changes. (And more changes as we fixed two mistakes in there.)
Several highly-ranked teams lost over the weekend, and that's put pretty much every rankings from #8 to #30 in flux. Something big could happen again this week, and going forward. Spring Break probably had something to do with it, as did the fact that it's really hard to go undefeated in some of the tougher leagues. A loss shouldn't completely undercut a team's rankings (West End, Tampa, San Diego) but it has to hurt at least in the short run.
Gonzaga Wins Cherry Blossom
Gonzaga HS won the Boys HS bracket of the Cherry Blossom Tournament in DC over the weekend, defeating Loyola Blakefield in the final.
Archbishop Spalding took the Plate over the Maryland Exiles, while Christian Brothers Academy took the Spoon.
Cape Pirates over Tampa Punctuates Florida HS
Florida’s HS competition was shaken a little bit with the news that the 3-4 Cape Pirates defeated 6-1 Tampa.
The Pirates emerged 14-13 winners in a game that may not have an enormous effect on the playoff picture, but it’s still an interesting result.
With the Krewe losing, and RBMA winning 41-27 over West Pines, it is Riviera Beach Maritime Academy that is in 1st place.
Cape Pirates have lost to Jupiter, Okapi, and Key Biscayne by an average of slightly less than eight points. Head Coach Steve Roper said his team has been moving forward all through those tight setbacks.
5 From Demmy Leads West Shore Comeback
Jayden Demmy scored five tries to lead West Shore United to a 38-33 comeback victory over West Chester in Rugby PA DI Club action this past weekend.
Demmy opened the scoring in the first half when he made a tackle, poached the ball and shook two defenders while sprinting in from 40 meters out. The conversion was missed and West Shore held a 5-0 lead. West Chester answered quickly when West Shore United got sloppy with the ball inside their own 22. An ill advised pass was picked off by the West Chester defense and sprinted in for a converted try and a 7-5 lead. West Chester would strike next after a series of West Shore turnovers and penalties led to a try off of a quick tap penalty. West Shore flyhalf Colby Rigg was able to block the conversion to keep West Shore within a converted try at 12-5.
St. Edward Leads UK HS Showcase
St. Edward left the University of Kentucky High School Showcase 2-0 on the varsity level and 4-0 overall, beating South Doyle and Ravenwood.
St. Ed’s beat South Doyle 55-0 on Saturday, paced by Elijah Warfield's two tries, and their JVs won 53-0 over South Doyle’s Bs. On Sunday, St. Edward’s JVs were victorious again, and then in the varsity game, St. Edward beat Ravenwood 31-3.
That game was marred somewhat by a fractious attitude between the players, and the contest itself was cut short as tempers flared.
Coastal Dragons Knock Off SD Mustangs in SoCal
Upsets continue around the country in Boys HS rugby, with Southern California no exception.
The Coastal Dragons put the San Diego Mustangs to the sword 34-22 this weekend.
For the Dragons, the key was superiority in the backline. Coach Ed Peterson said that the plan was to play rugby in the opposition half, and make their forwards work especially hard to get back into scoring position.
Mustangs No. 8 Brandon Cole was at the center of their attack and was especially effective running the ball. But in the centers, #13 Braydon Krause was brilliant and scored four tries.
Deep South Latest
The Bayous Hurricanes continued their winning ways in the Deep South HS league, defeating a tough New Orleans Barbarians team 39-0 in Gretna, La. Saturday.
The weather was sunnier but the field was extremely wet as flash floods the day before had soaked the ground. But the Hurricanes can handle those conditions, and powered through with props Neil Fontenot and Josh Boudreaux scoring the first two tries for a 10-0 halftime lead. The second half would open with the Hurricanes playing down a flanker thanks to a yellow card for a high tackle.
